Britain's Smith Plans Ford-Based EVs, U.S. Factory

By Matthew Phenix

April 18, 2008 | 9:31:49 AMCategories: Electric Vehicles

Britain's Smith Electric Vehicles is working with the Ford Motor Company to introduce EVs based on the forthcoming Transit Connect and the F-650 commercial vehicle.

The Ampere (left, foreground) uses Ford's long-wheelbase Transit Connect as a starting point, supplanting the internal combustion engine with a 50-kilowatt electric motor and a bank of lithium-ion iron phosphate batteries developed specifically for the vehicle (the latter backed by Smith's confident 5-year/1000-cycle warranty).

The company claims the Ampere is good for 100 miles on a charge, will reach 70 mph, and can carry close to 1,800 pounds of cargo. The van is aimed at commercial users in urban areas — couriers and utilities workers, for instance — although it's not hard to imagine some consumer interest in such a vehicle.

The Ampere is set to debut in North America next year, alongside Ford's regular Transit Connect van.

Photos courtesy of Smith Electric Vehicles.

Smith is also set to roll out the Faraday II (pictured below), based on Ford's mighty F-650. Expect it to employ a 120-kilowatt motor from Enova in place of the usual 6.7- or 7.2-liter diesel engine, and either lithium-ion iron phosphate or sodium nickel chloride batteries. Either way, look for a top speed of 50 mph and a range of 150 miles.

The Faraday II goes on sale here later this year.

The Ampere and Faraday II join Smith's Ford-based Newton EV (currently the world's largest road-going electric vehicle, pictured above right) in the American market.

Based in the English county of Tyne and Wear, Smith has a small facility in Fresno, California, but in December, the company announced that it will open a much larger U.S. factory in 2010 with a production capacity of 10,000 vehicles per year.